The armored AML (Auto Mitrailleuse Léger – Translating from French to English: Light Machine Gun Vehicle) had its beginning during the 60´s decade as a requirement of the French army to have available an exploration vehicle. In this case, it was selected the design of the Panhard Company.
Small, with good mobility and armed with two machine guns, the first designed AML had a remarkable success and gave birth to a complete family of derivative armor: Tank-Hunter’s versions with the H-90 gun that offered in the history of armored vehicles the best relationship between fire power and weight (gun of 90 mm against 5,5 tn); the support version AML 60 that carried a 60 mm mortar and a 20 mm gun; there were also AML versions of troop transport, antiaircraft with two 20 mm guns); and battlefield reconnaissance with a Rasit radar.
From this family of armored vehicle, Panhard built almost 5 thousand units, exporting them in over 30 countries all over the world and using them in combat in Middle East, Israel, South Africa and the Malvinas/Falklands Islands.

The Panhard on the Argentine Army. Malvinas/Falkland Islands experience

Between 1977 and 1978, the Argentine Army acquired in France 60 AML on the H90 version in order to equip its Armored Cavalry Exploration Squadron around the whole country. On April 1982 due to the British naval blockade it was not possible to transfer tanks SK-105 Kurassier to the island, as originally planned, therefore, as a stroke of faith, only the AML H-90 became the only Argentine armored vehicle to land on the island.
In all, twelve Panhard landed on Malvinas/Falklands carried by the C-130 Hercules and were ready to face the enemy on a land that was not at all favorable. In contrast to the Scorpion light tanks used by the British army, the Panhard had 4 wheels and did not count on with tracks to reduce pressure on land and let them move on.
The surface of the islands, mostly soft and muddy, covered barely with a thin layer of turf, did not allow the correct traction of vehicles outside of the very few secondary roads that surrounded the Argentine Port, causing a severely restriction on its mobility and interfering with the exploring duties.
Leaving them meant to dig up mostly the vehicle up to their axles, what would force to use the Chinook in order to pull them out. Without possibility to move on the Panhard became simply artillery guns.
The cold and humid weather was damaging the electrical system and their batteries required to be preheated. As days went on, even fuel became scanty considering it was kept aside for the needs of the radar generators and antiaircraft guns, both basic for defense.
Day light was very few during winter on the islands which became critical on the beginning of the struggle: the British always attacked during night time and the fire system of the Panhard had no special night equipment that let them blind during the action.
With the enemy approaching towards the Argentine Port, the AML were used as the artillery on the area of the race track as fire support for the troops that were on withdrawal, undergoing the counter battery fire with major range from the British guns and exposing to helicopter and Harrier fighters that were controlling the aerial space.
Two Panhard were hit by splints from the enemy fire causing both vehicles to be inoperative and withdraw from action knowing that under another circumstances both vehicles could have been repaired. One of the crew was harmed
Finally, on June the 14th when surrender was requested, vehicles were partially disabled by their own crew member, removing the blocks of the guns since destroying them completely, while being inside the village of the island, would had involved unnecessary risks for the civilians.
One Argentine Panhard captured by the British, the EA33524 “TCNL. OLASCOAGA”, can be seen today at the Bovington Tank Museum in England.

THE MODEL

Exist two models of the Panhard H-90 version on scale 1:35, both built on resin, quite expensive and very difficult to obtain: that of the Spanish KMR company which comes with very basic interiors and that one of the French Azimut company, very solid with no interiors. None of them convinced me.
The AML design, with wide hatches and access on their sides, on the driver position and on the tower, allows, while kept wide open, a clear view of the small vehicle’s interior. This makes it attractive for a detailed look.
For this reason, I decided to build my model from scratch using high impact plastic sheets of 0,5 mm density, that represents in scale approximately the density of the real armored (from 8 to 15 mm).
Counting on with the help of good views and pictures obtained from the Argentine Army Panhard, I started with the chassis construction, which required me lots of patience to assemble it since its many angular plates and the lack of interior reinforcements made it very fragile becoming necessary the use of cianoacrilate to rapidly stick the pieces following with a liquid glue to reinforce the joints.
As for the wheels, used those of the Mowag Piranha from Esci, and made some modifications on them so as to get the right design of the tires. Also made molds out of them in resin.
The engine covers and the exhausts were made on plastic of several thickness and handles on a very thin wire of copper.
In front of the vehicle the corrugated metal sheet used to cross trenches, requires very good pulse in order to drill out in a straight row its seventy two holes on the plastic sheet. The tower was built equally, obtaining the gun barrel from the handle of a paint brush having to recreate all other details as the muzzle brake, the breech and the block. On the inside, the tower basket was made out of copper wire and plastic sheet, adding the seats, the ammunition carrousel, the radio equipment and sights.
The convex shape of the hatch of the tank commander was built by stamping on plastic; previously soften with heat, with an object having the same shape. In my case, I used a tiny ball of glass.
The French machine gun, lights and smoke dischargers completed the whole.
For painting, I used Humbrol colors: brown 118 and green 108, and some oil colors as black and ocher, dried paint brush on sandy tones and a thin powder look given with airbrush on the lower part of the vehicle, tires and rear.
The identification numbers were given with transfers and correspond with a Panhard 1st. Armored Cavalry Exploration Squadron “Cnel. D. Isidoro Suárez” based in Arana, La Plata city, in 1994.
It was a very hard work which required me lots of time to put the model together, however, seeing it ready made all effort worth it because this small model on 1.35 scale with a total of eleven cm from the end of the gun to the rear fits perfectly on the palm of a hand and it is my preferred model!